Designer OLA Savings Plans

Overview

Cloudamize recommendations for AWS include several designs leveraging AWS capabilities and common usage, labeled OLA 1 through 10. This article lists the basic settings for each design to aid understanding.

OLA 1 - Hardware, On-Demand

This plan is designed for organizations requiring a direct "as-is" transition to the cloud with maximum flexibility. This design mirrors existing on-premises hardware specifications while utilizing a pay-as-you-go consumption model. It is ideal for temporary workloads, testing environments, or initial migration phases where long-term commitments are not yet desired.

Key Features

• Sized to Hardware: Allocates AWS resources based on existing physical hardware specifications (CPU and RAM) rather than observed utilization, ensuring a 1:1 performance match.

• On-Demand Pricing: Provides total flexibility with no long-term commitment, allowing instances to be started or stopped at any time with per-second billing.

• SQL License Included: Simplifies management by bundling Microsoft SQL Server licenses directly with the EC2 instance, eliminating the need for complex license tracking or Software Assurance.

OLA 2 - Workload, On-Demand

This plan is a performance-optimized design that prioritizes both operational flexibility and licensing efficiency. By utilizing rightsizing data, this plan matches your AWS footprint to your actual utilization levels while allowing you to retain existing Microsoft SQL Server investments through License Mobility. It is the ideal starting point for migrating production workloads where you want to validate performance before committing to a long-term savings plan.

Key Features

• Rightsized for Workload: Leverages actual CPU and memory utilization data to select the most efficient instance sizes, preventing the "lift-and-shift" trap of over-provisioning.

• On-Demand Pricing: Offers maximum flexibility with no upfront costs or long-term commitments, allowing you to scale or change instance types as your requirements evolve.

• SQL BYOL (License Mobility): Minimizes cloud spend by allowing you to bring your existing SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance (SA) to AWS, avoiding the higher cost of license-included instances.

OLA 3 - Workload, 1 Year All Upfront

This plan is a precision-engineered solution designed for stability and maximum cost-efficiency. By aligning infrastructure with actual performance data, this plan eliminates over-provisioning while leveraging the deepest discounts available through the AWS commitment model.

Key Features

• Rightsized for Workload: Leverages Optimization and Licensing Assessment (OLA) data to ensure instances are tailored to your actual CPU and memory utilization.

• 1-Year EC2 Savings Plan: Provides significant savings over On-Demand pricing in exchange for a consistent hourly spend commitment.

• All Upfront Pricing (AUP): Maximizes your ROI by paying the entire commitment at the start of the term, resulting in the highest possible discount rate compared to partial or no-upfront options.

• SQL BYOL (Bring Your Own License): Optimizes licensing costs by allowing you to migrate existing SQL Server licenses to AWS, avoiding the "License Included" premium.

OLA 4 - Workload, 1 Year No Upfront

The OLA 4 plan offers a balanced approach to cloud optimization, providing significant cost reductions without requiring initial capital expenditure. This plan is ideal for organizations looking to preserve cash flow while still benefiting from the performance gains of data-driven rightsizing and the commitment-based discounts of an AWS Savings Plan.

Key Features

• Rightsized for Workload: Utilizes OLA performance metrics to match your instances to actual resource requirements, eliminating waste from over-provisioning.

• 1-Year EC2 Savings Plan: Secures a discounted rate compared to On-Demand pricing through a 1-year commitment to a consistent amount of compute usage.

• No Upfront Pricing (NUP): Offers a "pay-as-you-go" commitment model, providing a steady monthly bill with $0$ initial investment.

• SQL BYOL: Minimizes licensing overhead by applying existing SQL Server licenses to the AWS environment.

OLA 5 - Workload, 3 Year All Upfront

This is the most aggressive cost-optimization strategy in the OLA Design portfolio. By combining long-term planning with a full upfront commitment, this design captures the maximum possible discounts offered by AWS. It is purpose-built for steady-state production workloads where long-term architectural stability and absolute minimum TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) are the primary objectives.

Key Features

• Rightsized for Workload: Uses historical performance data to eliminate waste, ensuring you only commit to the compute resources you actually need over the next three years.

• 3-Year EC2 Savings Plan: Provides the highest level of discount available by extending the commitment term to 36 months.

• All Upfront Pricing (AUP): Locks in the best possible hourly rate by paying the full term commitment at the start, removing monthly recurring compute charges.

• SQL BYOL: Further reduces costs by utilizing existing SQL Server licenses, avoiding the premium associated with license-included instance types.

OLA 6 - Workload, 3 Year No Upfront

This plan is designed for long-term infrastructure stability with zero initial capital investment. By committing to a three-year horizon, this design captures deep discounts while maintaining a predictable monthly operating expense (OpEx) model. It is the ideal choice for established, long-term workloads where budget predictability and cash flow preservation are the top priorities.

Key Features

• Rightsized for Workload: Ensures that the three-year commitment is based on optimized performance data, preventing long-term spend on underutilized resources.

• 3-Year EC2 Savings Plan: Offers a superior discount profile compared to 1-year plans, rewarding the long-term commitment to the AWS ecosystem.

• No Upfront Pricing (NUP): Distributes the total cost of the commitment into equal monthly payments, requiring no "day-one" capital expenditure.

• SQL BYOL: Maximizes licensing efficiency by porting existing Microsoft SQL Server licenses to AWS, significantly lowering the effective hourly rate of the compute environment.

OLA 7 - Workload, 3 Year No Upfront, Dedicated Hosts

The OLA 7 plan is a high-density optimization strategy designed for enterprise-grade workloads that require physical server isolation. By "packing" workloads onto Dedicated Hosts, this design maximizes the utility of physical cores, making it the premier choice for complex compliance requirements and aggressive SQL Server licensing optimization.

Key Features

• Packed on Dedicated Hosts: Increases workload density on physical hardware to minimize the number of hosts required, significantly reducing the host-level licensing footprint.

• Rightsized for Workload: Benchmarks performance data to ensure virtual machines are sized perfectly before being placed on dedicated hardware.

• 3-Year No Upfront commitment: Provides long-term price stability and deep discounts without an initial capital outlay, preserving liquidity.

• SQL BYOL (Core-Based): Specifically designed to leverage the cost benefits of Bringing Your Own License to a dedicated environment, often resulting in the lowest per-core licensing cost available.

OLA 8 - RDS Workload, 1 Year No Upfront

This design is a specialized optimization plan for managed database environments. It transitions on-premises or EC2-based SQL Server workloads to Amazon RDS, combining the operational ease of a managed service with a "pay-as-you-go" commitment model. This plan is ideal for organizations that want to reduce administrative overhead while maintaining a predictable monthly OpEx with 0 initial investment.

Key Features

• MS SQL on RDS: Migrates workloads to a fully managed database environment, automating time-consuming tasks like patching, backups, and hardware provisioning.

• Rightsized for Workload: Uses granular performance data to select the optimal RDS instance class, ensuring you don't pay for unused database capacity.

• 1-Year No Upfront commitment: Secures significant savings through a 12-month commitment to the database environment without requiring any capital expenditure.

• SQL BYOL: Allows for the use of existing SQL Server licenses on RDS, further driving down the hourly cost of the managed service.

OLA 9 - Workload, On-Demand, Graviton

This plan is a forward-looking design optimized for high-performance Linux workloads. By utilizing AWS Graviton processors—custom-built ARM-based silicon—this plan delivers superior price-performance compared to traditional x86 architectures. It is the ideal choice for modern Linux-based environments where operational agility and cost-efficiency are paramount.

Key Features

• Graviton for Linux: Leverages AWS Graviton processors to provide up to 40% better price-performance for compatible Linux-based applications and open-source software.

• Rightsized for Workload: Uses granular utilization data to ensure Graviton instances are perfectly matched to your compute and memory needs, preventing overspend.

• On-Demand Pricing: Offers maximum flexibility with no long-term commitment, allowing you to start, stop, and scale your Graviton environment as required.

• SQL BYOL (Compatible OS): Optimized for running SQL Server on Linux, allowing you to bring existing licenses to a more cost-effective hardware platform.

OLA 10 - Workload, On-Demand with SQL Licensing

This plan is a comprehensive "all-in-one" design that combines high-performance rightsizing with the administrative simplicity of bundled licensing. By utilizing an On-Demand model, this plan provides immediate scalability without the complexity of managing separate Microsoft license agreements. It is the premier choice for rapidly scaling enterprise workloads or organizations transitioning to a pure cloud-consumption model.

Key Features

• SQL License Included: Eliminates the need for Bring Your Own License (BYOL) or Software Assurance by bundling the Microsoft SQL Server license directly into the hourly instance cost.

• Rightsized for Workload: Optimizes compute costs by using actual performance data to match your instances to their real-world CPU and memory requirements.

• On-Demand Pricing: Offers maximum flexibility with no long-term commitment and zero upfront costs, allowing for instantaneous resource adjustments.

• Automated Compliance: Reduces audit risk and administrative overhead by leveraging AWS-provided licenses that are automatically tracked and managed.

If you have queries regarding this, please get in touch with the Technical Helpdesk at helpdesk@cloudamize.com